INVESTIGATION OF ACTIVATION MARKERS DEMONSTRATES SIGNIFICANT OVEREXPRESSION OF THE SECRETORY COMPONENT ON SALIVARY-GLANDS EPITHELIAL-CELLS IN SJOGRENS-SYNDROME

Labial salivary glands biopsies (LSG) performed to support clinical an omalies suggestive of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) sometimes fail to confir m the diagnosis. Here we investigated whether epithelial activation ma rkers could provide further information. Frozen cut sections of LSG; f rom 40 patients, including 23 confirmed SS, were examined in immunoflu orescence for the expression of HLA class II molecules, the protector of apoptosis bcl-2, the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and secretory component (SC). Class II molecules were highly expressed on epithelial cells in SS patients (DR > DP > DQ). Bc12 was expressed in filtrating cells which were more numerous in the group of SS patients. ICAM-1 was present on endothelial and infiltrating cells of a few pat ients in both groups, Epithelial cells produced SC in 83% of SS patien ts samples vs four cases of non-SS patients (P = 0.0002). Investigatio n of the expression of SC on glandular epithelial cells could therefor e be proposed as a marker of SS. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.